Firing tool constituting a combined poker and clinker remover



July 30, 1929. D. s. COLE 1,722,953

FIRING TOOL CONSTITUTING A COMBINED POKER AND CLINKER REMOVER Filed April 21, 1927 Patented July 30, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DWIGHT S. COLE, 0F GRAND BAIPIDS, .MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY A. ROBBERY, 0F GRAND RAPIDS, .IIICHIGAN.

ammo TOOL oons'rrrurrns A COMBINED POKER AND CLINKER nmlovnn Application filed April 21, 1927. Serial No. 185,581.

My invention relates to tools for stirring and cleaning fires, and more particularly coaland coke fires in which clinkers form under certain conditions of fuel and rates of combustion.

The objects of my invention are to produce a tool for the purpose which is easily held and operated, efiicient as a poker and as a clinker remover, compact in form, durable, and simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

How I achieve the objects of my invention is disolosed by the following description and by referring to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred form and construction of my new tool. V

A tool constructed in accordance with my invention comprises in combination two similarly formed metal rods opertaively connected so as to permit of the movement of each with respect to the other fingers at one and the same end of each rod, and means at and near the other ends of the rods for the application of the hands thereto for moving the rods.

In order to-produce a tool of compara-L tively light weight and having adequate.

same letterflor numeral designates the same part in the "several figures':-

Fig. '1 is a side view of my new tool showing the positions of its parts when it justed for use as a poker; Fig. Q'is a top view of the tool;

Fig. 3 is an end'view of the end near the operator; 7 o p F' g. 4: is a side view of the tool when it is V adjusted to enga'gea clinker orother object b'eltilween the fingers or jaws at its outer en a Fig 5 is an enlarged side'view of a portion of the end ofthe tool remote from the operator; 7

Referring .to the drawing wherein the.

is ad- Fig. 6 is a view taken on line A B of Fig. 5, looking upward;

Fig. 7 is a section of one of the fingers at its remote end, taken on line C-D of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 8 is a view taken on line E-F of Fig. 5, looking as indicated by the little arrows adjacent that line.

As distinct elements of the tool are formed by different portions of each rod I designate each rod as a whole by a letter and its several elements by numerals in order to describe them clearly and explain how the parts function in service. Accord-v mgly, the rods and elements are designated as follows. viz

Letter A designates the upper rod as a whole; B the lower rods as a whole; numerals 1, 1, 1 and 1 the clips which secure rods A and B together in operative relation; 2 the inner or hand-grip portion of rod A; 3 the outer hand-grip portion of rod A; 4 the upper longitudinal portion of rod A; 5 the lower longitudinal portion of rod A; 6 the clinker or object-gripping finger or portion of rod A at its end remote from the operator; '7 the inner hand-grip portion of rod B; 8 the outer hand-grip portion of rod B; 9 the upper longitudinal portion of rod B; 10 the lower longitudinal portion of rod B; 11 the clinker or obiectgripping finger or portion of rod B at the. end remote from the operator; 12 the barbs on fingers 6 and 11 near their free ends; 13 the tapered portions of fingers 6 and .11 on their outer faces and adjacenttheir free ends; 14 the grooves in the inner faces of fingers 6 and 11; 15 the ridges formed at the margins of grooves 14; 16 the forwardly bent portion of rod A at top of element 2.

Except that rod A has forwardly bent portion 16 at its inner end, the two rods A and B, constituting the main elements of the tool, are alike in form .and have their like portions or elements in parallel, Clips 1, 1 1 and 1 are all alike and are approximately U shaped, and, as shown clearly in Fig. 8, these clips partly surround one rod and are rigidly secured near theirfree ends to the other rod, .as indicated by 17 in Fig. 5, designating the two places where the clips and rods are welded togetherboth free ends of a clip being welded to the rod simultaneously.

The form of the rod and the locations of the clips thereon constitutes a construction which serves to maintain all of the elements of the tool in the same plane during all longitudinal movements of its major portions, so that fingers 6 and 11 move in parallel throughout their range of movement. The movement of the rods and the extent of the opening between fingers 6 and 11 is limited by the difference in lengths of the lower longitudinal portions, 5 and 10, of the rods.

Clinker fingers 6 and 11 are preferably grooved on their inner faces, from their free ends along their straight portions, as shown by' 14 in Figs. 6 and 7 and indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5, and the edges of these grooves, together with the curvedsurfaces of the rods, form ridges 15 which contact with the clinker and serve to aid in holding it securely with the application of but little force on hand-grips 2 and 7, which serve to move the fingers toward each other.

Barbs 12 serve, when the tool is used as a poker, to engage the margins of clinkers which adhere to the grate bars or are otherwise lodged and aid in loosening and moving them so that they can be more easily grasped between fingers 6 and 11 and held while being removed from the fire, either through the firing door, or the special clinker door provided on some furnaces. These barbs thus serve a distinct purpose in removing clinkers with this tool. WVhile I have shownand described barbs 12 as the preferred form of roughened surfaces on the outer faces of fingers 6 and 11 it is obvious that other forms of roughened surfaces might be substituted for the designated barbs and the tool be nearly or quite as useful for the designated purpose.

When the tool is used as a poker one hand ofthe operator encompasses grips 2 and 7 and forces them into close relations, asshown in Fig. 1, and the other hand encompasses portions 4 and 9 of the rods near their inner ends, about where indicated by 18. WVhen the tool is thus held clinker fingers 6 and 11. are in contact and the pointed ends thereof are easily forced into the fuel by the downward pressure of the hand at 18 while using the hand on grips 2 and 7 as a fulcrum. As grips 2 and 7 are firmly held by one hand of the operator and his other hand encompasses both rods at 18 it is obvious that he can easily rotate the tool at I will through a wide angle by twisting the handuon the said grips so that the pointed ends of fingers 6 and 11 can readily be forced into the fuel and locate the clinkers (or other. non-combustible materials) therein and,'by aid of barbs 12, loosen the clinkers and move them into position for easy graspingand removal. When the operator has thus located and loosened a clinker in the fire he relaxeshis hold on the rods at,18 and slips that hand along the rods and in place provides a construction ple to produce and strong and very effectivein holding the main elements of the tool in thence downward upon grips 3 and 8 and grasps them. With both hands thus engaging the grips he can easily separate fingers 6 and 11 or force them toward each other by simultaneously closing one hand and opening the other. As all of the hand-grip elements are limited in their lengths by the right angle bends at their limits, except that grip 7 has a free end, the hands of the operator are prevented from slipping off the grips and a firm holding of the tool is thus adequately provided for in all positions of its rotation and during the longitudinal movements of its major portions. As the major portion of the tool is beyond the outer pair of hand grips the excess weight of said projecting portion produces a downward pressure upon the hand on grips 3 and 8, and a consequent upward pressure on the hand on grips 2 and 7, with the result that both hands of the operator may be relaxed or opened wide at the same time and the tool will not fall from his hands. This feature is a valuable one in such a tool and it thus contributes to achieving that object of my invention.

By inverting the position of the tool, as shown in Fig. 1, fingers 6 and 11 will point upward while the hands engaging the grips will hold it as securely as in the position shown by Fig. 1, as portion 16 of rod A serves to retain the hand of the operator on grips 2 and 7, which is the soleobject of element 16. When thus inverted and held the tool may be inserted under the grate and used to poke upward through openings in the grate or between its bars and thus loosen clinkers adhering thereto, and this is another object of my invention.

From the foregoing description and explanation it is evident that the form of my new tool is such as to adapt it to the designated service very. efliciently, and that it is simple, strong, durable, and, because of the small area and loose fit of its sliding surfaces and of the employment of round rods as its main elements, there is little liability of anything interfering with the easy movement of its parts due to clogging with debris while in use. The use of the designated clips and the stated method of their being secured that is simoperative relation, which is another object of my invention. The construction shown and described produces a tool that is thin and packs closely for storage-or transportation, which is another object of my invention.

Having thus explained the construction and method of using my new tool it is apparent that it achieves the objects forwhich it is intended by means which are simple, practical and novel, and that much ingenuity was necessary in its conception and production in the designated form. I, therefore, claim as my invention all tools comprehended within the following claims, viz:

1. In a tool, having in combination two rods secured together for longitudinal movement of either with respect to the other and having fingers or jaws at one end of the rods, a means integral with and at and near the opposite ends of the rods for applying the hands thereto, whereby longitudinal movement of the rods in opposite directions with respect to each other is efl'ected by alternate closing of the hands.

2. In a tool of the class described, having two rods secured together for slidable longitudinal movement of either with respect to the other and having fingers or jaws at one end of said rods extending approximately at right angles to the axis of the rods, means formed in the length of said rods substantially at right angles thereto at and adjacent the opposite ends of the rods for application of the hands thereto, whereby longitudinal movement of the rods in opposite directions with respect to each other and closing and opening said jaws is effected by alternate closing of the hands.

3. A tool of the class described, having two rods located alongside each other and connected together for longitudinal movement of the rods with respect to each other and having fingers at one end of each rod, a section adjacent the opposite end of each rod bent substantially at right angles to the length of the rod for a short distance each rod then being bent to extend outwardly for a distance and then rebent to form a terminal end section parallel to the first section, the distances between said sections of the rods being greater in one rod than in the other, whereby the hands may be applied to the adjacent sections of the two rods and by alternate opening and closing of the hands move said rods longitudinally to effect alternate opening and closing of said fingers.

4. A tool of the class described including, two similarly bent rods having like portions disposed in parallel and secured together to permit a limited longitudinal movement of either with respect to the other and having fingers at one end of each rod bent at an angle to the longitudinal portion thereof, said rods at and near their other ends having portions located substantially at right angles to the length of said rods and disposed with respect to each other that on applying the hands to said sections the rods may be longitudinally moved with respect to each other and the fingers alternately separated or brought together by the alternate opening and closing of the hands.

5. A tool having, two longitudinal members connected together for longitudinal slidable movement of either with respect to the other, said members near and at one end thereof having means formed therewith for application of the hands thereto, said means on the two members being parallel and arranged to effect longitudinal sliding movement of one member with respect to the other in opposite directions on alternate closing of the hands.

6. In a tool-of the class described, two similarly bent rods connected together in operative relation to permit limited longi tudinal movement of either with respect to the other, said rods being bent at and near one end thereof to provide hand grasp portions parallel to each other and adapted to be engaged by the hands and spaced with relation to each other that on alternate opening and closing of the hands said rods are longitudinally moved in opposite directions with respect to each other.

DWIGHT S. COLE. 

